Owners deserted by Pontiac and Saturn's demise will take different paths in buying their next cars

A new study finds that owners of today's Pontiac and Saturn vehicles will take decidedly different paths when it comes time to buy their next cars. They've got to go somewhere because General Motors is giving both brands the boot.

Pontiac owners will remain flag wavers. Their top choice will be Ford, followed by Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Dodge, the study by Experian Automotive finds. Saturn owners, however, will look overseas, first to Toyota and Honda before they'd buy a Ford. Nissan, Hyundai and Dodge round out the list. Perhaps that's fitting since Saturn was created as a free-spirited brand aimed strictly at stemming GM's losses to foreign makers.

General Motors will lose about two-thirds of owners to brands other than remaining Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and GMC. Saturn will lose better than three out of four. The defections aren't trifling numbers. If Pontiac were a stand-alone brand, it would be next in size after Mercedes-Benz. Saturn is smaller, but handily larger than Mitsubishi, Suzuki or Land Rover.

Pontiac owners have shown slightly more loyalty to the GM brand in the past year. Saturn owner loyalty has dropped somewhat. Based on second-quarter sales, Experian predicts GM will see its market share shrink from 20% with all its brands to 17.5% with just the four core brands. Ford, Toyota and Honda all will pick up about a half-percentage point in market share with the rest spread among other automakers.

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About Chris Woodyard

Chris Woodyard is an auto writer for USA TODAY who covers all aspects of motoring. He revels in the exhaust note of a Maserati and the sharp creases of a Cadillac CTS. Chris strives to live a Porsche life on a Scion budget. More about Chris